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At the start of Allan's lively third antiques mystery (after 2007's Antiques Maul), divorcée Brandy Borne and her eternally glamorous if somewhat annoying mother, Vivian, are busy preparing for the Christmas rush in the small Midwestern town of Serenity. Then Walter Yeager, a fellow antiques dealer, dies of cyanide poisoning soon after it becomes public knowledge that the WWII veteran owned a valuable first edition of Tarzan of the Apes, which disappears from the crime scene. Walter's 20-year-old British goth granddaughter, Chaz, becomes the top suspect due to her prison record, but Brandy and Vivian believe she's innocent. Told primarily from Brandy's viewpoint with Vivian sneaking in quips for extra pizzazz, this bubbly tongue-in-cheek cozy also includes flea market shopping tips and a recipe. Allan is the pseudonym of the husband-wife writing team of Barbara and Max Allan Collins. (Sept.) Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved. --This text refers to the Hardcover edition. |
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After her divorce, Brandy Borne heads back to the small midwestern town where she grew up only to find that her mentally ill mother, Vivian, has sold all the family's antiques to unscrupulous dealer Clint Carson. Before Brandy can reclaim the family heirlooms, Carson is murdered, and both Brandy and Vivian confess, each hoping to protect the other. When it becomes clear that neither of them is guilty, Brandy investigates. This mystery offers a likable heroine whose first-person narration draws the reader into the story, which includes subplots concerning the somewhat strained relationship between Brandy and her much older sister and the challenge of living with a flamboyant mother who is quite eccentric when she doesn't take her medication. Humor, though sometimes somewhat forced, laces the narrative in this first in a promising series. Readers of Sharon Fiffer will enjoy the antiques frame, including various tricks of the trade addressed to the reader at the end of each chapter. Sue O'Brien Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved --This text refers to the Hardcover edition. |
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This lavishly illustrated and enthusiastically written guide to modern collectibles is another success by Prisant (Antiques Roadshow Primer), capturing on the printed page the excitement of the top-rated PBS television series Antiques Roadshow. An excellent introductory essay, "Collecting 101," is a helpful look at the field of collecting itself that includes some tips that even the most experienced collector should remember ("Work on self-discipline"). But this is clearly a book for the novice, and Prisant makes it clear that this is not a definitive work but "a brief overview of the types of collectibles that are brought most often to Antiques Roadshow." Her selection is impeccable, and she provides highly informative chapters on ceramics, advertising, glass, sports collectibles, toys, fashion and textiles, dolls and doll accessories, wristwatches, photography, entertainment memorabilia and furniture. The true beauty of this volume is the hundreds of photographs of the collectibles themselves, everything from Picasso-designed pottery and Miriam Haskell necklaces to a Lou Gehrig-signed baseball and one of Mr. Spock's outfits from Star Trek. Even the more experienced collector will be surprised at the range of artifacts produced in the 20th century. Copyright 2003 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to the Hardcover edition. |